Personal style is quite a big part of the way that I think about myself. I had this strange moment at graduation where – after deciding to play it safe and stick to the conservative dress code – I didn’t feel like “myself”. Isn’t that a strange idea, that just a dress could seem inconsistent with my sense of personal identity? On occasion I’ve had this conversation with male friends where they ask me why clothes are so important to me and whether that’s inconsistent with being a feminist and resisting the societal pressure for women to care a lot about what we look like. I never really know how to answer. I certainly don’t feel like I’m being oppressed when I dance around my room choosing an outfit to wear. I don’t consciously dress up to be attractive, although I undeniably get a thrill from my nearest and dearest appreciating my outfits.

Whether or not I subconsciously dress-up for societal approval, it’s puzzling why clothes feel so important to me. Especially since caring about clothes conflicts with my environmentalist values often – fast fashion and sustainability don’t make a happy partnership. There’s a tendency for the phrase “self-expression” to be thrown around as an answer to questions of value in fashion. “Fashion is important and feminist because it allows people -especially women – to express themselves!” But, I’m not sure what is meant by “self-expression” here and so it’s hard to evaluate the truth behind this sentiment. I rarely think beyond “this looks good!” when putting outfits together and I have plenty of days when I want to blend in / wake up 10 minutes before I have to leave for work and thoughtlessly shove on a jumper and jeans. It seems most people aren’t trying to make a political statement by getting dressed but simply trying to go about their business without getting frostbite or giving the neighbours a shock.

In a wonderful recent interview, Madeline Pendelton, one of my favourite fashion bloggers, says “Getting dressed every day, that’s a big action. I think of it as the only form of art in which everybody is obligated to participate”. This idea makes a lot of sense to me. I think personal style as an art form is commonly devaluated both because getting dressed is a routine, everyday action and because of fashion’s longstanding love affair with consumerism. Unlike other types of art, most can’t choose whether to participate and multinational corporations are paying billions to persuade you to express yourself via the medium of this totally *new* *life-changing* and *necessary* trend. I have friends that believe getting dressed is only art if you chose to approach it that way, but actually regardless of whether you intend it, clothes are a tool for communication. You can’t help but communicate something about who you are, who you think you are and what you value through the clothes you wear. Humans are judgemental creatures, and what you’re wearing is one of the first things we pick up on. We might be wrong, but people will make assumptions about where you’re from, how much money you have, what gender you identify as, what music you might listen to, where you shop and how many fashion magazines you read by looking at your clothes. Personal style is a very powerful tool for communication and maybe this is what “self-expression” amounts to in relation to fashion.

I read on Accidental Icon about some really interesting research which suggests that fashion can really transform the way we feel about ourselves. This paper found that clothes affect the way we think, feel and behave. Not surprisingly this depends on the properties we perceive the clothes to have (e.g. “is this something a confident woman would wear?) rather than some objective properties of the fabric. In other words, if you want to blend in and you wear something you think will help you do so, you’re much more likely to act invisible than if you had the same intentions but wore different clothes. What you choose to wear will affect the way you feel and behave that day, and not just because you may want to feel attractive but because clothes have the ability to convey so much more. In this way, personal style can express, and help us become, who we want to be. Women commonly refer to a trusty shade of red lipstick or a dependable dress as “armour” because these elements give them the confidence to thrive in certain environments or succeed in difficult situations.

I also think that style can be expressive when it is subversive and oppositional. Not all artistic expression has to make a distinct ideological point with each separate work – or outfit, in this case. Many people express something in their general attitude towards getting dressed. Subcultures and counter culture – punk is an obvious example – have often expressed distaste with the mainstream, dominant culture through clothes. Refusing to conform to traditional ideas of how women should dress is a feminist action and declining to buy sweatshop produced apparel does make a political statement about the way you want the world to look. Fashion has traditionally been an industry dominated by a small group of wealthy and powerful influencers – fashion designers, editors and the “upper class”. With fashion blogging, now more than ever, “ordinary people” have the opportunity to contribute to the conversation and reclaim fashion for themselves.

So then, why is personal style valuable? I think it has something to do with self-expression – we use clothes to communicate ideas about our self-image, change the way we feel and behave and sometimes even oppose dominant power structures by disobeying the rules about what we should be wearing.

James took these photos of me in Glasgow Necropolis, perhaps the most beautiful graveyard I’ve ever seen! All the major elements (bar my shoes) are vintage or second hand. I fell in love with this coat as soon as I saw it in one of my favourite vintage shops ever, Armstrong’s on the Grassmarket in Edinburgh. It reminds me of something a “quirky” female character would wear in a film set in London in the early noughties, perhaps paired with a baker boy hat à la Kiera Knightly in Love Actually. I just can’t get enough of these 90s-does-70s-meets-goth vibes at the moment. What am I trying to express? What a difficult question! I find it interesting that these are (in my opinion) two styles that aren’t commonly seen together. I like to think that you can’t figure me out just by looking at what I’m wearing.

This is such an amazing post, I don’t even know where to start! I always find it puzzling when people equate being interested in fashion with being anti-feminist, because to me what we wear is a form of creativity and expression that feels particularly resonant with women, who through history have often had to play specific, submissive roles. For instance I’ve read up about Riot Grrl and how that sort of ‘baby doll’ aesthetic satirised society’s perceptions and expectations of women to be feminine, and being able to reclaim that and own your body. I think posts like these are so significant because fashion should be seen as an art form just like painting, music, architecture etc. I love the idea of turning yourself into something artistic and creative just by wearing a certain piece of clothing, it’s so important to my sense of self to have that outlet for expression. Anyway this piece was so well researched and I would love to see more like this in the future!

Also I freakin’ LOVE that coat and I cannot wait to get down to Armstrongs again when I see you next month, you have no idea how excited I am! Sorry for the absolute ESSAY haha, lots of love xxxxx

Aww Bel, thanks for the super long comment / essay, it is so good to hear things from your perspective! I’ve had a version of this in my drafts for a long time and I was hesitant about publishing, so I’m glad it made sense and I will work on doing more like this.

That’s so interesting about Riot Grrl, I’m not as clued up on that movement as I should be. I think actually there are lot of instances of fashion being used for social change like that – even flapper dressers in the 20s were a huge challenge to ideas of ladylikeness.

Thank you Kerry! It is amazing having this little online space where I can look back and see how my thoughts and the way I express myself have changed. I think without it, it would be easy not to notice the difference

Jess, this is such a brilliant post. Please write more think pieces like this, you are brilliant at it! Such excellent points raised and I love the stream of consciousness musings, I feel like I’m sat down having a conversation with you. When are you next back, I want to see you xx

Oh thank you, it means so much that you liked it! I will definitely have a go at doing more posts like these. I’m back in March next, it feels weird that it’s been so long already, I’m excited to see you xx

Hehe this is SO true, I can definitely get where you are coming from here! I don’t think most people dress with making statements in mind. If they do, they are probably subconscious statements… of aesthetic almost, rather than a political agenda. At least for me. I like how I can “express myself” based on how I am feeling on a given day. Some days I want to wear ripped up jeans and a band tee with dark polish, and other days I’d like put on something vintage… or go super girly. I love to vary every bit of my life; I choose movies, music, books, TV, foods even, from varying genres. It just keeps my life interesting. It gets me to thinking about places I’ve never seen and ideas I’ve never considered. Just last weekend when we saw Jack’s Mannequin on a Saturday night, we woke up the next day and had a waffle brunch out and hit a Moscow Ballet’s performance of The Sleeping Beauty. I guess that’s how I feel about clothes. I can channel whatever I am feeling on a given day… even if that’s “it’s freezing, and I just want to be cozy!” I don’t know if any of that made sense… but it’s how I’m feeling right now! I always love to see what you come up with, your personal style is so unique and fun. I love it! I definitely see where you’re coming from with the ’90’s meets ’70’s vibes. XO -Alexandra

Thanks for the lovely comment! I agree, it’s nice to be able to change things up depending on your mood. I definitely dress for my mood, I always wear a jeans and a jumper if I’m not feeling good! You make total sense. It’s nice to be able to explore different things aesthetically without having to commit to one style. Waffles and ballet sounds like the most perfect day xx

Hello there! Nice to meet you, I'm Jess. Twenty-four. Edinburgh. Tree hugger. Obsessed with Halloween. I like elephants and bell bottoms and my bunny rabbit Archie. You can usually find me in the pub, watching Buffy, hunting down vegan junk food or crocheting on the sofa.